Epidemiology and Burden of Food Allergy

Overview

Journal Curr Allergy Asthma Rep

Specialties Allergy & Immunology
Pulmonary Medicine

Date 2020 Feb 19

PMID 32067114

Citations 118

Authors

Christopher M Warren

Jialing Jiang

Ruchi S Gupta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose Of Review: In recent decades, food allergy has become an increasing concern for families, clinicians, and policymakers. This review aims to summarize what is currently known about the epidemiology and population-level burden of IgE-mediated food allergy, including its effects on quality of life.

Recent Findings: Prevalence surveys, healthcare utilization data, and findings from longitudinal cohort studies across the globe indicate that food allergy imposes a growing societal burden. Worryingly, recent data indicate that food allergies may be more prevalent among adult populations than previously acknowledged, with many reported cases of adult-onset allergies. While it remains unclear how much of the current population-level burden of disease results from true, IgE-mediated allergy, as much epidemiological data does not incorporate clinical confirmation of disease prevalence-it is clear that affected individuals suffer impairments in their quality of life and incur substantial economic costs-beyond the physical health burden imposed by anaphylaxis.

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